04/22/2026
Good afternoon Mentor Iowa champions!
Hope this post finds you all being able to enjoy this beautiful day. THANK YOU so much to everyone who has made a bid (or two) to win your favorite auction items.
If you have gone on the auction portal, you may have seen some Mentor Iowa champions names listed by certain categories. Although these champions are not physically with us anymore, Mentor Iowa chooses to have their memories last with our program by renaming auction categories in their honor. Mentor Iowa has been very fortunate to have these eight wonderful champions throughout our 52-year history and it is an honor to name the following categories in their names. The following is a brief description of these individuals and the IMPACT they made with Mentor Iowa.
Joe & Janet Brick - For the Family
Joe & Janet Brick were longtime champions for Mentor Iowa and stressed the importance of giving back to their family as well. Joe and Janet were very faithful to Mentor Iowa and generous by being the Dinner Sponsor for our Divots & Dimples golf outing for 16 years. Their love for Mentor Iowa was also shared with their children and employees at Brick Gentry Law. Their children, Stephanie and David, both served 9-year full terms on the board of directors for Mentor Iowa. With Joe’s input, Brick Gentry Law has had a representative on our board for over 30 years. With all of Joe and Janet’s involvement in the community, their biggest passion was family. They loved having the roles as brother/sister, parents & grandparents and helped those they loved make good choices just as a mentor would. It is fitting and an honor to name the For the Family category in Joe and Janet’s names.
Bill Fultz - Art
Bill Fultz was a champion for many years to Mentor Iowa. Bill was an influential Advertising Executive, community leader, award-winning artist and accomplished pilot. For over 15 years, the Mentor Iowa art category had a piece of Mr. Fultz’s artwork as an auction item. Besides his donations of art, he and his wife, Judge Karla Fultz, would make holiday donations to Mentor Iowa as presents to the family. Bill was a mentor to many young aspiring professionals pursuing an advertising career. Mr. Fultz passed away in 2019 but his legacy will live on with his countless pieces of art and corporation logo’s. It is an honor to name the Art category in Mr. Fultz’s name.
Eric “Coop” Cooper – Memorabilia
Eric Cooper was a Major League Baseball umpire and 9-year board member for Mentor Iowa. The highlight of his career was being selected to the umpire crew for the 2014 World Series. Coop joined the board in 2006 and from that moment on he donated many priceless memorabilia pieces to our auction for those to bid on and enjoy. He also is a member of the Hoover High School Hall of Fame. Coop passed away in 2019 but his dedication to his craft lives on through the countless umpires he has mentored through the years. It is an honor to name the Memorabilia category in Mr. Cooper’s name.
Rosemary Graff - Travel
Rosemary Graff was a Juvenile Court officer and the second person to run VIP, now known as Mentor Iowa. Ms. Graff was the Director for VIP starting in 1975 and had to leave in 1994 due to an ever increasing number of children being served by the Juvenile Court. When Rosemary retired from Juvenile Court Services in 2009, she came back to Mentor Iowa to help a new initiative titled the Transition Program and stayed in that role until 2012. Rosemary passed away in 2022 but her memory will live on through something she loved to do which was traveling. Ms. Graff traveled all over the world and thoroughly enjoyed seeing the sights and creating memories with family and friends. It is an honor to name the Travel category in Ms. Graff’s name.
Carl Grant Jr. – Out & About category
Carl Grant Jr. was a mentor, financial supporter and longtime friend to Mentor Iowa. He became a mentor with Mentor Iowa in 2000 to his mentee, Tim. Besides being a mentor, Carl and his wife Marcene, were ongoing sponsors for our auction and holiday parties. Mr. Grant lived life to the fullest and was passionate about tennis, golf, biking, fishing and traveling. His favorite travel spots were trips to Colorado and Hawaii. He always had hist days planned for his adventures or everyday life. Mr. Grant passed away in 2017 but his smile will live on in our memories and we will cherish the many ways of support he provided to Mentor Iowa. It is an honor to name the Out & About category in Mr. Grant’s name.
Kathleen “Sparky” Koenig – Clothing & Accessories
Kathy Koenig was a longtime champion for many organizations, nonprofits and churches throughout her life. Through the combination of her kind heart and talented hands she was able to knit hats and mittens every Christmas for our referred children and their siblings every year. This extremely generous donation helped keep our children safe and warm during our extremely cold winters. Sparky’s daughter, Mindy Toyne, has been a long time champion of Mentor Iowa by being a mentor, board member and was the 2019 Tidrick Honors recipient. Sparky passed away in 2019 but her legacy lives on with her children and grandchildren who continue to give back to Mentor Iowa and our community in many ways. It is an honor to name the Clothing & Accessories category in Mrs. Koenig’s name.
Sue Richardson – Sports & Fitness category
Sue Richardson was a lifelong teacher and relished the opportunity to be a part of young people’s lives with her positive outlook. She loved to exercise by walking and playing tennis. She also enjoyed watching her children play sports and participating in musical events. Her love of giving back to the community was instilled in her children too. Her son, Tyler Brady, hosts an annual golf tournament in his mother’s honor. The TB Invitational in honor of Sue Richardson has raised thousands of dollars for Mentor Iowa and Susan G. Komen Greater Iowa. It is an honor to name the Sports & Fitness category in Ms. Richardson’s name.
As you know, the auction portal is up and running and the bid battles are so fun to watch! Keep on bidding so you can win your favorite items. The QR Code located in this email will directly take you to our auction portal so you can start bidding. You can also go to bidpal.net/mentoriowa to go to the registration page. You will have to fill out a few questions and you will be ready to go.
Looking forward to seeing everyone this Sunday, April 26th for the 23rd annual Mentor Iowa auction presented by GreenState Credit Union. Our in person celebration will start at 2 pm at Toad Valley Golf Course and the silent auction will end at 4 pm. The award ceremony will start at 4 pm and we are looking forward to celebrating our champions and children referred to our program. Please remember our event is free and open to the public, no RSVP is needed. The attire for the event is Business Casual, but please feel free and celebrate with us in whatever outfit you feel comfortable with.
We are so excited to celebrate with all of you this Sunday, April 26th!